FaceTime free for International use

Although Facetime calls are possible using your carrier (and the devices are 4s or 5), they are NOT free (international calls are very expensive over carrier networks). If you want a clean and FREE facetime call, no matter where you are, use wifi. 🙂

FYI, a Facetime call over cellular is using data, not the cellular connection, and it is not an international call. The call is routed through Apple when done via cellular. While I agree it isn't free, since you have to pay for your cellular data, it is not like an international phone call.

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MyName,

011 is equivalent to the +XX country code.

For the analog landline phones yes, the 011 is needed, for modern mobiles and VoIP, all you need is the +XX country code to make a call.

But how would the system know you call international and not an area code of a USA phone number? Do I just dial a "+" before the country's code?

What/who are you trying to call? From what country are you calling to/from?

Have you looked at Skype for your calling needs?

When using American landline phones, they devised the touch tone of 011 to prevent accidental overseas calls when Aunt Sue in New York tries to call her brother in Colorado.

(You have to dial 1-303-555-222 to reach Colorado by landline)

When using an American mobile,

The +1 is implied when making a call outside of the phone's registered area code.

For example, you would dial (212) 555-2222 if you were calling from a different area code, 303 for example.

When calling phones within the same area code (212 for example)

All you need to type in is 555-2222 to make the call.

For the European continent, their numbering system works a bit differently.

The (0) after the country code is for in-country calls, use the +XX for out of country calls.

+44 (0) 7725 100100

Outside the UK, you'd type in +44 7725 100100
Inside the UK, you'd type in 07725 100100

Just like America, the +44 is implied and not needed to complete the in-country call.

Does that make more sense?

From using both within the USA, I found out FaceTime has better quality than Skype (and there are others, like Tango).

And I assume, for FaceTime, BOTH phones must be iPhones, right? There's no FaceTime as an Android app, right?

OK, so from the USA, using my iPhone, calling a friend with an iPhone in Europe (or Asia), do I dial +1 and the country code, or just + and the country code?

Facetime works with supported iOS devices as well as Macs with webcams/OS X 10.7 or later

http://www.apple.com/ios/facetime/

To clarify, you do not use the iPhone's phone keypad to make a facetime call...

You must start the call on Facetime via the button in contacts or at the top of a conversation with said friend in Messages. (see photos)

http://www.rustybrick.com/pics/userpics/FACETIME.PNG

http://photos.appleinsider.com/ios4-100916-3.jpg

About this:

OK, so from the USA, using my iPhone, calling a friend with an iPhone in Europe (or Asia), do I dial +1 and the country code, or just + and the country code?

+1 is only the North American Continent and and Caribbian islands.

+44 is England

+43 is Austria

+81 is Japan

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_country_calling_codes

For overseas calls you just need to replace the 011 with "+ country code". If you are calling the same country (as you are) you obviously don't need country code. For instance, to place a call from US to Brazil: "+ 55 areacode phonenumber", simple as that.

OK, now what about the few people in this world who don't have FaceTime, not even an iPhone, some of them happen to be friends of mine that I wanna call free....

Skype (paid but great rates)

Viber (calls anywhere from anywhere but smartphone for both parties needed)

MagicJack (calls to USA and Canada from any reliable data connection around the world)

Viber makes most sense to me, but does the other party need to have Viber too, or just any smartphone?

Both parties require the Viber app.

Facetime uses a data connection being over wifi or your cell phone data connection. If you have unlimited data or still have "data credit" the calls via Facetime are free.

Facetime uses the Apple ID to connect you to each other. What ever is in your contact's information the call is made from an Apple ID to an Apple ID (both side using Facetime). When you want to make a phone call the iPhone will present you only phone numbers being cell, iPhone, home, etc it does not matter but of course will not present you with email addresses. If you choose to make a Facetime call then it won't use the numbers but use the email addresses to see call. if those email address are not an Apple ID or your correspondent is not reachable the call will fail. Facetime does not make call (yet) to phone numbers (cell or landline) like Skype does.

Try to add a fake number to a contact you know has facetime. Then try to call that number. The correspondant facetime will ring. Because it does not call the number but call your correspondant apple ID (only one email listed in the contact card has to be a valid Apple ID). If two email addresses listed are valid apple id and two people are using those apple id on different devices, then both will ring.

At least the above is what I experienced.

So how about this scenario....my wife and I are in the US and both have US iphones. Family plan in fact. What do we do if one of us us traveling in the middle east? Do we just make sure we are both on wifi and use facetime button?